Why More Women are Choosing Double Mastectomies

March 13, 2013

Studies indicate that the number of women with early-stage breast cancer who've opted for double mastectomies is on the rise, CNN.com reports. Susan Domchek, MD, executive director of the Basser Research Center in the Abramson Cancer Center, is quoted in the article, noting that the escalating rate may be linked to greater access to information about inherited breast cancer risk. "The data we've been collecting is evolving quickly, and these women are living with this information in real time," she said. "Since 1994 enormous progress had occurred: The genes have been cloned, clinically available tests for gene mutations have been developed, and the implications of having BRCA1/2 mutations are better understood. Women as young as 25 are using this data to make informed choices."